Extended closure sensor design for an electronic device
AssigneeGoogle Inc.
InventorsYao Ding, Qi Qi
Life of this patent
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Abstract
This disclosure describes an extended closure sensor design for an electronic device. An electronic device (300) senses, with a magnetic sensor (306), an open or a closed position of the electronic device (300). A lid magnetic field is propagated through a ferromagnetic material (304) by a lid magnet (302) when a lid (310) or similar component of the electronic device (300) is in the closed position, thereby placing the lid magnetic field incident upon the magnetic sensor (306). In the open position, the lid magnetic field is materially absent and a bias magnet (308) causes a bias magnetic field to be incident upon the magnetic sensor (306).
Claims10
A device, comprising:
- a first magnet;
- a ferromagnetic material, the ferromagnetic material being positioned at a first fixed distance from the first magnet;
- a magnetic sensor, the magnetic sensor being positioned at a second fixed distance from the first magnet and at a third fixed distance from the ferromagnetic material, the magnetic sensor configured such that a first output of the magnetic sensor is triggered by magnetic fields having a first polarity and a second output of the magnetic sensor is triggered by magnetic fields having a second polarity;
- and
- a second magnet, wherein a strength of the first magnet is a fraction of a strength of the second magnet, the fraction being less than one, the second magnet being positioned at an adjustable distance from the first magnet, the ferromagnetic material, and the magnetic sensor such that:
- a first position of the second magnet causes a first magnetic field of the first polarity from the first magnet to be incident upon the magnetic sensor and trigger the first output;
- and
- a second position of the second magnet magnetizes the ferromagnetic material such that a second magnetic field of the second polarity from the ferromagnetic material is incident upon the magnetic sensor and triggers the second output.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.